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Ipswich Town	1 - 0	Newcastle United
Half time:	0 - 0
Score Sheet:
Stewart (76 pen)
	Teams
R. Wright Wilnis McGreal Hreidarsson Makin Reuser Magilton Holland J. Wright Armstrong Stewart		Given Barton O'Brien Hughes Quinn Solano Lee Acuna Speed Ameobi Cort
Substitutes:
Venus for Wilnis (53) Clapham for Reuser (77) Scowcroft for Magilton (67)		LuaLua for Lee (81) Gallacher for Ameobi (81)
Subs not used:
Branagan Burchill		Bassedas Harper S. Caldwell
Bookings:
		Given (17)  Grabbing the ball to  prevent a quick corner
Sendings off:
		Solano (76) Deliberate Handball
Referee: Mike Dean (The Wirral).
Attendance: 24,028. Biggest of the season as more seats in the new upper tier of the South Stand are made available.

Half time: Ipswich 0 Newcastle 0

76 mins. Solano handled a goal-bound Hreidarsson header on the line and the referee rightly awarded a penalty, with the Peruvian being dismissed. Stewart stepped up and shot home over the diving Given 0-1

Full time: Ipswich 1 Newcastle 0

 

Uncle Bobby said of his welcome back to Portman Road: 

George Burley praised his over-achievers, saying:

"The pressure was on us, Newcastle are safe, maybe with nothing to play for, but we are fighting for a European spot.

"Everybody expected us to win because of what we have done in the league so far but I knew that Newcastle do have some outstanding players.

"But Marcus tucked it away and that's why he is the leading scorer in the Premiership - it was a well-taken penalty.

"We have been in the top six virtually all season and the league table doesn't lie. It's a wonderful achievement."

A casual observer at this game could have certainly gone away with the impression that both sides were well-matched and enjoyed an equal league placing. The fact that this would have been in the lower mid-table position we're currently enduring rather than the rarefied air of the upper reaches tells it's own story, however.

While the home side have successfully built up a head of steam and are in the habit of regularly acquiring points each time they take the field, their visitors have at present forgotten what it's like to have a lead, never mind win a match. All credit to Ipswich for bucking the trend and silencing the critics, but any side with Alun Armstrong in it shouldn't make the rest of the league tremble in their boots.

Technically there wasn't much between the two teams, with the Magpies as capable as their hosts of playing neat football in midfield without causing offence. The principal difference appeared to be a combination of form and luck that served us so well in the past when allied with genuine striking power, and at present has totally deserted us. The fact that our forward line had all the attacking menace of the Swiss army didn't help - not a criticism of Cort, but a reflection of the limited contribution Shola made, and the lack of support and service from the midfield, who could argue they were under instructions to stem the blue tide. 

Nobody has been able to explain precisely why Cort's first half header was chalked off, the supposed push not showing up on post-match reruns. Referee Dean thought he saw something amiss, but for those of those without x-ray eyes the disallowed goal merely signalled it was going to be another one of those days. Unpunished skirmishing in other Premiership matches shown on TV that night (principally Leicester v Man City) merely made things worse. The only consistency is the inconsistency....

No complaints though about the penalty, which had a certain inevitability about it, given our current plight and the fact this was the third successive game we've been penalised in such a way. At least this one was a genuine offence, unlike the pantomime awards at Everton and Bradford.

Aside from Cort's effort and late shots from subs Gallacher and LuaLua there wasn't a great deal for the travelling fans to shout about, but the "we will give you foot and mouth" chant was augmented by a rendition of "shall we burn you just in case?" - which provoked great mirth among the adjoining tractor boys and local constabulary.

An encouraging performance from Andrew O'Brien unfortunately wasn't enough to carve out a clean sheet, but Town never laid siege to our goal, and the only time that Given looked to be genuinely struggling was when a defensive header from Hughes cannoned off the United crossbar in the first half.

It's very difficult to feel anything other than empathy with Ipswich, partly arising from the adoration that was accorded Bobby Robson (which one sensed would have been extended to Kieron Dyer had he played) but also the totally unthreatening atmosphere both in the town beforehand and during the game. The unsegregated toilets, catering facilities and access and low-key stewarding between home and away fans couldn't have been in greater contrast to the expected war zone that will await us in our next away excursion.

Having said that though, a couple of Ipswich fans hadn't exactly covered themselves in glory on a previous visit, when their banging on the roof of the Newcastle dugout had caused a certain K.Keegan to venture into their midst to sort them out. Had that been repeated in this match, no doubt one of Bobby's Paddington hard stares would have been enough to calm the tractor boys....

In conclusion, one goal for Ipswich always looked likely to be enough, but had we held on for a point in a goalless draw, or had Cort's header contributed to a 1-1 final score, Bobby's plan would have worked, we'd be a point better off and buoyed by the knowledge that we were beginning to regain some of our old confidence and form. 

Instead we now move on to a home game against another utterly inconsistent outfit, desperately seeking a win. The three points we need to confirm our Premiership status cannot come soon enough, with fans, player and manager all looking for the boost that a win would bring, especially with that trip down the road looming.

PS - Best not to mention either the awful shrieking masquerading as opera singing from some bloke in the middle of the pitch at half time - he wasn't even fat..... 

Biffa

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